Community and Economic Developmenthttp://www.extension.iastate.edu/communities/node/11523/atom/feed2013-07-29T14:32:49-05:00BA145MPI: Working with Public Officialshttp://www.extension.iastate.edu/communities/OSLGP/BA145MPI2012-06-21T15:26:41-05:002013-07-29T14:32:49-05:00soberbr

Course Description:

Course Description:

Dealing with elected officials can occasionally be a challenge for the municipal clerk. To begin with, city councils have multiple personalities and sometimes relatively frequent personnel changes. Further, council members and municipal clerks have fundamentally different functions and therefore different perspectives on what is important. Sometimes some council members may be brusque or even downright rude. Occasionally, council members may engage in what the municipal clerk perceives to be unethical practices, sometimes out of ignorance and sometimes from intent. Yet, municipal clerks may try to impose too many of their values and perspectives on duly elected officials who have a mandate from the people. This session will be a candid discussion of these types of issues. In particular, the session will focus on informal training of the newly elected official by the clerk, as well as choosing when the principle of leadership should outweigh the principal of neutrality.